13th May 2021: Brimstage (mod)

 A Bakers Dozen CER members turned up at Meadow Lea on an overcast and drizzly morning. It was good to see Andy W along with Dave and Liz Pipe after a long Covid-induced break. It turned out that there would be seven moderate riders, whilst Ivan and John W constituted the briskers.

But where to go, as there had been a last minute change of venue?  I had managed to root out a ride to Parkgate, originally devised by Trevor a couple of years ago and had loaded onto my phone. Consequently I was elected ride leader and set off with Clive, Dave H, Andy B, Alan, George and Peter, turning right out of the café car park heading for The Wirral (or is it just Wirral? – answers on a postcard please).  We zigzagged our way over the M53, past the back of the zoo and over the canal past Chorlton Hall. We were soon crossing the A41 at Backford and heading up Demage Lane towards the railway. The Sustrans path alongside the railway slowed us down with all its gates but we put up with it as the alternative is to cycle up main roads. Then it was on through Capenhurst and Ledsham, across the Welsh Road and on to Willaston. At some point after the Sustrans path, Peter stopped to take a phone call, saying that he’d meet up with us at Parkgate, so we were now six.

As we’d been going along, I’d been having a conversation with Clive about where we were headed and where we might eat. He suggested that we should divert from Trevor’s route at Willaston and head up to Raby Mere. The mere was 'created' some 350 years ago by damming the river Dibbins that once flowed through this part of the Wirral. A mill was built in 17th century and this in turn was powered via a sluice from the Mere itself.  Having made use of the photo opportunity provided by the mere, we pressed on through the outskirts of Bebbington heading for Claremont Farm Café and Farmshop where we hoped to find lunch and, according to Clive, the best pork pies anywhere. 

When we arrived, the place was heaving. The car park was full and the café full of people, so it was agreed that this wasn’t the place for us, although we did take advantage of the facilities. By this time the rain was heavier and more persistent, so waterproofs were donned.

 Plan B was the café at Brimstage Hall, so Clive led us through the housing estates on the periphery of Bebbington and almost all the way to Storeton, before turning south for Brimstage. The cafe turned out to be an excellent choice, being much less crowded and providing us with shelter from the rain whilst we ordered and ate a very satisfactory lunch.

Photo by Alan

The rain had stopped by the time we left Brimstage and we threaded our way through Thornton Hough and Neston to join the boardwalk across the marshes at Ness. From there it was the usual route through the Deeside Industrial Estate to connect to the Greenway. Clive peeled off for home part way along and the rest of us arrived back at Meadow Lea in time for refreshments before they closed at 4pm.

  A very pleasant 39 miles visiting one or two places not seen before. Thanks go to Clive for suggesting the ‘route extension’ and for leading on that section. Thanks to the rest of the crew for their company and support and apologies to Peter for not showing up at Parkgate.

I hitched a lift back to sunny Runcorn from Dave H and was more than a bit surprised when I got my bike out of the back of the Berlingo to find that my back tyre was flat. How lucky was that!

See route map and/or gpx file download

ST

28th September 2017: New Brighton

Eight of us met at Ness with an acute shortage of route ideas, or of maps with which to conjure some. Dave Matthews, Clive, Nick, Steve Tan, George, John, Keith and myself were present. John and Dave Matthews were going their own way at 10.30. John's ticking, creaking sound on his bees knees bike was traced to his swish, Swiss wheel spokes. I must say, that the degree of bending of outside spokes over the inside ones didn't look right to me. Anyway, it was thought that the fretting at the point of crossover was causing the noise under torque. Perhaps, a touch of lubricant would help. No doubt, Dave Pipe would have individually wrapped each spoke with electrical tape from his magic panniers!

Clive nobly took responsibility for making up a route and leading. We headed north past the impressive Thornton Manor estate and onto Brimstage. From Storeton we turned south-west  to Barnston, as even Clive baulked at the obvious, but no doubt very muddy, Landican Lane link. Clive  forged  ahead up to Thingwall on the A551, stopping at the side of the road in order to give us a short history lesson on the Viking origins of the name“Thingwall”. However, as we thought he was only waiting for us to catch up, we carried on past him, regardless! Clive had stopped at Cross Hill adjacent to two reservoirs. He would have told us stuff like, that the name Thingwall derives from the Old Norse meaning “assembly field.”  Cross Hill was a major meeting place or parliament for Viking communities on the Wirral, and perhaps from as far as Helsby, Whitby and Talacre. “by” is a suffix meaning “village”, e.g. Frankby(Franki's settlement), Greasby(wooded stronghold) and West Kirby(west church settlement).

We worked our way through the supposedly notorious Woodchurch estate, and then meandered towards Bidston via a snaking, largely green route. We passed under the spaghetti junction of exit 2 of the M53, but eventually reached the promenade at New Brighton on this route that only Clive would be able to repeat without the assistance of GPS and a water diviner.

The weather and the view across the Mersey was very attractive, and soon we were making the choice between Weatherspoon's, or the traditional fish and chip Nirvana of The Seaside Cafe. Fish and chips and tea it was.

Photo by Steve T

We were unusually into the wind on our initial riverside return.  I was soon lagging behind with Keith, as we favoured a more relaxed pace on a full stomach. Visiting New Brighton is always a little nostalgic for a lad born in Liverpool in the forties. I remember the ferry well, and the Tower Ballroom where The Beatles and Joe Brown and his 'Bruvvers' played at some time in the sixties. The  Tower itself was before my time, and at 544ft. high was the tallest in the country, before closing in 1919. As a kid, I particularly remember the daring Wall of Death riders in the old fairground.  Guinea Gap baths I also remember from sixty years ago. Evidently, the baths are over 100 years old, and originally used sea water. Between 1908 and 1957, 205 world and national swimming records were achieved here.

The swing bridge between East Float and Alfred Dock was missing at Seacombe, so we had to divert to the next crossing. We eventually returned to the river front before Birkenhead Woodside ferry and bus terminus. At Birkenhead Priory a very welcoming guy told us the opening hours, and I was pleased to know that the tower overlooking the famous Cammell Laird shipbuilding site was once again open to the public. Rock Park with its magnificent old mansions overlooking the river is a real gem, hemmed in by less glamorous urban and industrial development.

We eventually reached Brimstage for tea and cake at an establishment in the far corner. We were served by lively young people and sat outside in the sun at the back. The conversation was informative and wide ranging, from Clive's historic references about the Vikings and more, to an analysis of the attractions and limitations of  Barcelona and its environs, conducted mainly by George and Steve, as I recollect.  The lad on the till was enterprising, as not having the correct change, he suggested that they owed me until my next visit! Shurley some mishtake there!(As the late Bill Deedes would say). Clive couldn't resist the muddy link past Oaks Farm, so earning a few more points for his brown polka dot jersey as King of the Grime (urban and rural). Somewhere along the line we lost the agreeable company of George and Nick, as four of us headed toward Clive's home village of Mollington. From there The Runcorn Three clocked up 60 plus miles back to Guilden Sutton via the Greenway. This was the furthest Keith had recently ridden  without breaking anything!  A really pleasant day, expertly led.
                                                                                                         
DH

1st April 2010: Mersey Estuary Ride

The first special (or as Brian and Dave prefer “novelty”) ride of 2010 just has to be on April Fools day.  Despite that and an early 9.30am meet in Frodsham combined with a poor weather forecast, ten members make it to the Cottage Tea Shop where we take over the back room conservatory.  Thanks to the friendly staff we are soon quaffing tea and toasted teacakes in preparation for the day ahead.  It’s a good mix today including some faces we haven’t seen for a while: Brian, Dave H, Mike, Glennys, Clive, Ivan, Jim, Liz, Martin and Bryan.
Dave announces that he has researched three different routes through Runcorn and that we will be taking the scenic one: and so it turns out to be.  After the initial maze of flyovers and underpasses we emerge to skirt Runcorn Hill with fine views all the way down the Mersey to Liverpool and Wirral.  What a grand way to start the ride.  From here it’s across the Runcorn/Widnes Bridge and down to join the Trans Pennine Trail.  In many ways this is the best part of the route (pity about the steps though) and we take in the scenery before heading inland to Hale to see the carved statue and grave of John Middleton the 9ft 3in Childe of Hale.  Bryan has come up with a new route this year bypassing Speke and the glass-strewn path by the motor works in favour of the lanes.  We leave the Trans Pennine Trail and take to the lanes before joining the old railway track at Halewood heading for Gateacre.
At Gateacre we leave the cycle trail and join the traffic to climb up to the ridge overlooking the Mersey before descending past Calderstones Park to the Red Bull at the eastern end of the Mersey promenade.  We’re doing well for time but Martin is thinking ahead and wondering where we will stop for lunch.  Brian recommends the Brewery Tap at Cairn’s Brewery near Liverpool Cathedral.  The suggestion is taken up with enthusiasm and without a further word we are off along the promenade into the wind.  The brewery is reached well before 1.00pm where we are directed to the empty brewery bike shed at the far corner of the car park.
Inside there is one other customer!  The full range of Cairn’s beers proves to be a daunting choice for some, as we don’t have time to sample more than a few: but no one goes away disappointed.  The food on the other hand is a different matter.  Soup and sandwich is off, as indeed is most of the menu but we can have a sandwich and chips (did someone say we had to wait for the bread to defrost?).  The last two orders emerged from the kitchen just before 2.00pm.  So for the second year running we have missed the ferry!
Brian leads us to James Street Station where we say goodbye to Glennys who takes a train back to Chester while the rest of us go one stop to Hamilton Square.  Here Bryan with bike almost topples backwards down the up escalator saved only by a quick thinking Mike.  With the exciting bit out of the way Brian leads us back through Birkenhead Park to Brimstage Craft Centre for a relaxing afternoon tea.  Brian leaves us here as we start the well-used route back to Chester through Thornton Hough, Willaston and Capenhurst dropping off riders along the way.  By the time we reach the canal at Backford there are only three of us left.

Photographs by Brian MacDonald

Distance from Chester and back just over 60 miles.

BW

16th July 2009: Mersey Estuary Ride

Photographs by Glennys Hammond

We had discussed today’s ride a number of times over the last year so I was thinking about how it would go as I cycled to the Cottage Café in Frodsham for an early 9.45am meet. I joined Jim sitting outside in the sun with tea and teacake before being joined by Glennys, Mike, Dave and Peter Williams (joining us for the first time). Once we had discussed the route it was time for the off with Dave leading us through Runcorn to the Runcorn Widnes bridge over the Mersey. Thank goodness we had Dave’s local knowledge to navigate us along the cycle paths through this bewildering landscape of flyovers and underpasses before being able to enjoy the views from the bridge. Once on the Trans Pennine Trial below the bridge Bryan took the lead before Glennys led us to Hale village church to see the grave bearing the inscription "Here lyeth the bodie of John Middleton the Childe of Hale. Nine feet three." After a photo opportunity by the carved giant it was time to continue through Speke before passing alongside the Jaguar Land Rover plant. How we avoided punctures on these glass littered cycle paths I don’t know but it was with a certain amount of relief that we joined the old railway line at Halewood Country Park for the ride up to Gateacre.
Leaving the Trans Pennine Trail Bryan led us uphill through Gateacre Village with the promise of a viewpoint in Calderstones Park which, I have to admit, seemed less and less likely as we got closer. Confidence in Bryan’s map reading skills then suffered a dramatic collapse as it turned out the “viewpoint” was in fact the OS symbol for a “garden”! Luckily the diversion gave us the opportunity to view the original Calder stones before we remounted, donned waterproofs, and set off in the rain down hill to the red bull on the Mersey Estuary embankment.
Once on the embankment, taking in the views across the Mersey, it seemed only a matter of minutes before we were relaxing in a café in the Albert Dock having a much needed lunch in the dry. Although a little behind schedule we took our time only to discover, on arriving at Pier Head, that we had just missed the Ferry and the next one wasn’t due for an hour and a quarter! A short diversion to James Street station was called for, where we took the next train to Hamilton Square negotiating both escalators and lift to get back to street level. Peter offered to lead us on the scenic route through Birkenhead pulling in Birkenhead Park and Bidston Hill before we joined the NCR 56 to Brimstage Craft Centre for afternoon tea and cake. Leaving the Craft Centre as the tearooms closed we headed back to Chester with Peter peeling off in Willaston and Bryan in Capenhurst.
What an interesting day this had turned out to be: a completely different ride to the usual exploring new territory and with four leaders covering different stages. Even the rain and missed ferry didn’t spoil the enjoyment of a great day out. Distance from Chester and back 66 miles.
BW